Cursed Lips and Hospital Gowns
by Miss Light Bright
Summary: "You're cursed. You're cursed to kill." Eren watched her mother convulse one more time and her eyes rolled up into her head. "No," Eren whispered. -In which Eren has been cursed to forever kill anyone she touches while Levi is dying of causes unknown. Levi/Eren Fem!Eren
1. Chapter 1

**PROLOGUE**

**Centuries Earlier**

She was breathing hard; her lungs burned and her tears stung. But she had to keep running. She had to! "Oh God," she whimpered as she ran headlong into a tree. She caught herself on the rough bark and paused for a just a second, scathing her delicate fingers across the grooves, and then zigzagged back into a new direction.

Why? It was the question that plagued Eren's mind as she sprinted through the dying underbrush of the wilting forest. She glanced back behind her, searching, but she saw no one. But she knew better. They were on her heal and she knew she had little chance of escaping.

A tear glimmered down her cheek as she ducked under the whipping branches into even denser forest. The tightness of the trees caused her to slow. Her heartbeat began beating in her ears, deafening her to the silent forest. She was pulling her cloak up further on her shoulders, fighting the cold, when she heard it.

A snap of a twig.

She squeaked in surprise and turned rapidly side to side. Dark forest in each direction greeted her. Damn it all. She had long lost her sense of direction. How the hell was she going to make it out of this forest now?

Eren realized with a sharp intake of breath. No, she wasn't going to make it out. She was dead meat.

She backed up slowly with her fingers laced into fists. The moon was hidden behind the trees, casting everything into shadow, but it did little good for Eren. She stuck out spectacularly in her red cloak. Suddenly she found herself in a clearing.

There was another snap of a twig and she whipped in its direction. Anger swelled up in her. She was being hunted but why? "Who's there?" she called. The silence greeted her once again and it put her more on edge than ever. "What do you want from me?" Her voice shook and her green eyes shot back and forth as she searched.

She forced herself to still, setting her features into a determined expression. Her breath came out in wisps of steam, rising up between her brown locks of hair. She sniffed sharply, thinking of her mother who would be all alone without her once she died. "Alright bastard," she yelled roughly. "Come and get me already! Kill me! I know you're going to, so just do it already!" Tears began streaming down her face. "Come on! What are you waiting for?"

Another crack in the undergrowth had her spinning. She froze. A tall, dark, hooded figure had emerged from the forest and then three other behind him. They walked slowly, silently towards Eren. Her terror consumed her.

"What do you want from me?" She whispered. She dug her fingers into her cloak, watching the figures warily. She could run but they would catch her again. Eren knew she was doomed.

None of the figures said a word, they just continued their approach. Eren stilled and waited, closing her eyes and whispering soft prayers under her breath.

The one in front of her reached out and grabbed her chin roughly. Her eyes flew open and she stared into shadowed face before her. She couldn't make out a single feature. Eren silently cursed. She was hoping to hunt this person in the next life, if only she could catch a glimpse of his face.

"This is the one," he said. His voice was low and smooth but cold. It was lifeless.

Eren shook her head, trying to shake him off of her. He held on tighter. "Are you going to kill me?" she asked fearfully.

A different cloaked figure laughed a girlish laugh but it sounded rough to Eren's ears. "Kill you?"

"Silence," the male in front of her said. The woman continued to laugh but under her breath.

Eren let her eyes wander back to him. "Who are you?"

"Your owner."

She gasped, disbelieving. "What the _hell_ do you mean by that?"

Someone laughed behind her. "What a spitfire."

"What do you mean by it?" Eren repeated.

"Your father," the cloaked man said. "He sold your soul in exchange for his freedom."

"What?" She felt her heart sink. Her father had disappeared five years ago.

He chuckled, squeezing her cheeks painfully. "Yes, he committed a foul sin five years ago today. He gave his soul to save the one of your mother. But it appears that he could not live without his soul any longer."

That's why he'd left, Eren realized with a jolt. He was cursed and could no longer with them? Was that why mother had recovered so quickly?

"He passed his curse onto you," he whispered into her ear.

Eren's eyes were wide, prickling with tears. Her father did this to her. "No."

"Yes!" he roared gleefully. "Now you and I get to spend an eternity together."

The tears burst forth, streaming down the edge of her nose. "This can't be happening."

"But it is." He took his hand and braced on her left shoulder and lifted his right to press against her chest above her heart. He breathed in deeply. And suddenly there was pain. It was pain beyond pain. Eren cried out in a shriek and she pounded at the man with her hands, trying to push him away. It was no use. The pain rose and she squeezed her eyes shut, riding the pain through until… all went black.

* * *

Eren came to when early morning light glittered across her face. She blinked slowly. There were green trees swaying above her, filtering the light between the leaves. Where…? She turned her head slowly, hearing the chirp of a bird off to the side. How….?

She was in the middle of a forest, she realized. After a moment she sat up. Eren squeezed her eyes shut. The last thing she remembered was the cloaked figures. But hadn't it been autumn? She reopened her eyes and looked about her. Green shrouded the forest. Perhaps it was all a dream.

Standing on shaky legs, Eren dusted herself off. She was extremely dirty and her red cloak was almost completely stained brown. She huffed in frustration. Mother would not be happy about this. Taking one last displeased look at her attire, she set off in the woods, heading in the direction she thought her home would be.

It took a while, a long time wandering, till she finally came upon her home. It was a log cabin, surrounded by a wide meadow on one side and the woods on the other. The sight of it had her grinning immediately. She started running.

At the door, she threw it open, and rushed inside, immediately going for the kitchen. "Mom!"

The woman at the table jumped before turning slowly. "Eren?" Her face was drawn up in shock. "Is it… Is it really you?"

Eren frowned. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

She stared at Eren in disbelief. "It's not possible. You've been gone for _months."_

Eren shook her head. "No, Mom. I was here yesterday."

"It… It doesn't matter. C-Can I hug you?" Her mother looked on the verge of tears. She was trembling.

"Yeah, sure, Mom," she said. She was so confused. Slowly, Eren crossed the room to her mother and held out her arms. Eren's heart rate sped, becoming unbearable. What was this feeling? But she pulled her mother into a hug nonetheless. Her mother smelt of flowers, particularly of the daisies that grew in the field. It was a smell that comforted Eren.

Suddenly her mother convulsed in her arms, choking back a cough. "Mom?" Eren pulled back, looking at her mother. She shook, uncontrollable, with a gargled sound erupting from her throat. "MOM!" Eren screamed. What was happening?

Her mother fell forward onto Eren, becoming dead weight and Eren could no longer hold her up. Slowly, the two slid down onto the wooden floor and Eren panicked, tapping along her mother's face, trying to snap her out of it. "Mom? What's wrong?" Her eyes clouded with tears. "What's happening?" Fear shook her voice.

"She's dying."

Eren gasped, looking up over her shoulder in surprise. She knew that voice. It was the deep voice that shook her bones. "You," she growled.

"Me," he replied with a laugh. It was the figure from the forest. He was wearing the cloak again and the hood was drawn deep over his head, hiding his face again. But Eren could see dark black hair hanging down by his chin.

"What did you do her?" She demanded, looking back at her mother. Her stomach dropped at the sight of her mother. She wrapped her fingers around her mother's dress. "Fix her!"

"_I_ didn't do anything. You did."

Eren shook her head, not sure if she was hearing him right. "What are you talking about?" She looked up at him.

A grin was just barely visible under his hood as he approached her. "You're killing her. Your hands, you touched her."

Eren's tears were slipping down her face. "Wh-what does that have to do with anything?"

"You're cursed. You're cursed to kill."

Eren watched her mother convulse one more and her eyes rolled up into her head. Eren was sobbing now. Then she stilled. "No," Eren whispered.

The man reached down and yanked her upwards by her arm abruptly and roughly. "Come. You work for me now." He started dragging her away and she just let it happen. Her mother was lying motionlessly on the floor and it was forever burned into her mind. She'd killed her own mother.

Her feet scraped the wooden floor she'd grown up as she was dragged away. She stumbled and let out a soft sob, pulling at her arm. Eren didn't want to go with him. But he only grinned that sick smile at her as he pulled her out the door. She hated him. God, she hated him. He took away her life and she would never forgive him. Never.

* * *

**This is my first SNK fanfic. I'm usually an OHSHC writer but I decided to try my hand at a new fandom. Tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Present Day**

"I can't concentrate with you hovering about like that," Levi sighed, leaning his back against his recliner, watching the snowflakes float down into the street below his second-floor apartment. He shook his head, letting the droplets spray around the room from his sopping wet black hair and took his sleeve and carelessly swiped it across his reddened nose.

"You really shouldn't have gone outside. It was careless."

Levi looked up at Hangi, rolling his eyes. "I'm not going to die." She glared at him through her glasses.

"You're an idiot."

Levi suppressed a smile. Hangi had been there for him for as long as he could remember. She'd lived next door when they were kids and now they were both twenty and nothing had changed. Hangi was still trailing his ass, making sure he didn't do anything stupid. She was like the sister he never wanted.

He sniffed again, looking back outside. Damn, he could feel another bout of illness coming soon. It was something he dreaded.

Hangi seemed to sense it. "When did this cold start?"

"This morning," Levi replied reluctantly. A cold was always the start of it. Then it progressed into a cycle of stabbing pain in his stomach and spine and it always, _always, _led to coughing up blood. And there was no way to stop it. The doctors just couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, so there was no way to cure it. Levi figured that he would die soon since the bouts were becoming more frequent. Hangi moved in with him to make sure that very thing did not happen.

Hangi appeared at his side, holding out a small Dixie cup and a glass of water. Levi eyed it distastefully. "No."

"You have to take your meds," she said, shaking the pill-filled Dixie cup with a rattle.

"For the last time, woman! They don't help. Just let me die."

She shoved the water into his hand, sloshing it over his newly clean shirt. "If you don't take them, I'll kill you myself!" Her brown eyes flashed with rage.

Levi sighed but took the cup nonetheless, tipping the pills back into his throat. He watched as Hangi marched away. Her brown hair bounced in her high ponytail and Levi snorted. It was about the only girly thing about her.

He turned back to the winter view outside his living room window and he suddenly grew bitter. He didn't go outside that often anymore, not in winter anyway. His body had grown intolerant of the cold in the last few years. Damn it, why did his body have to continuously disappoint him?

His apartment faced a serene park in the middle of the city and it was decorated for the holiday season. Levi was determined to see the lights flip on for the first time.

But then, movement caught his eye.

There was a girl, with long brown hair, running through the park as if she were running for her life. She was glancing in all directions before she slid out onto the sidewalk, nearly falling into the street. Levi flew to his feet as she raced right into the traffic. A car horn blared as she darted across, heading right into the path of an oncoming car.

Levi pressed his fingers against the cool window pane in shock. "Shit."

She halted right in time and the car whizzed past her, sending her hair wildly in all directions. As soon as it was gone, she started running again towards Levi's building and disappeared from sight. Levi wasted no time. He threw the blanket from his shoulders and went to the door, shoving on his shoes in a hurry.

Hangi appeared in the hallway. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Relax," Levi said steadily. "I'm just going to the coffee shop downstairs."

She nodded and disappeared back into the kitchen. "Get me a white mocha!"

Levi slammed the door shut behind him without answering. He scrambled down the stairs and was hit with the heavy smell of coffee. At the bottom of the stairs, he entered the coffee shop and tried to search over the heads of customers to look for the girl.

"Levi! I'm surprised to see you down here!"

Erwin stood to his left behind the counter making coffee. He was grinning but Levi only grunted, still looking around, completely ignoring his only friend he had besides Hangi.

"What are you looking for?"

Levi glanced at his friend. "This girl…" he started.

"A girl?" Erwin looked genuinely surprised.

"Yes, yes, leave me alone." Levi walked away before Erwin could ask any more questions. He didn't know why he had to find the girl but it was something he had to do. He edged his way around the line of people and stopped abruptly.

There she was. She stood in the back of the line, staring up at the menu over the counter, squinting with her mouth hanging wide open. "Attractive," Levi said.

She looked at him and Levi was greeted by deep green eyes. She looked at him with a frown. "Says the guy in his pajamas," she shot back.

"I live upstairs."

"You're still in pajamas."

"What were you running from?"

"What?" Suddenly the girl was looking at him with fearful, widened eyes.

"You almost got ran over. There are more efficient ways to kill yourself, you know."

Her face morphed into an unreadable expression. "I…" She trailed off. "It's none of your business."

It was true. It wasn't any of Levi's business but he had to know. It was the most interesting thing that had happened around his damn apartment in _weeks. _

"What's your name?"

"What?" She looked genuinely confused, like exchanging names was some foreign concept to her.

"_Your name_?" He said, growing impatient.

"I don't…"

"For God's sake, just give me your damn-"

"Eren," she said quickly, looking flustered under his gaze. Her cheeks tinged a light shade of pink but Levi passed it off from the cold outside. Levi looked a bit closer at the girl. Her brown hair hung to her shoulders, was tied halfway up, but was stringy from snow. She wore a sweatshirt that hung loosely, a size too big, and it seemed worn. It was entirely too light for the weather.

Levi raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm buying you a white mocha."

She blinked in surprise and thrust her hands out in front of her. "No!"

It was so sudden that Levi had to stare at her, openly confused.

"I mean," she said, composing herself, "Please don't. I didn't come here for coffee."

Levi cocked his head. "Then why the hell did you come in?"

Her face plunged into a deeper shade of red but her eyes flashed with annoyance. "Maybe it's none of your damn business."

Levi surveyed her for a moment. She looked down and away from him, fiddling with her badly chipped nails. Levi wondered if she were homeless. With that thought, he immediately turned and walked away from her, trailing up to Erwin at the counter. "Make me three white mochas."

"Do you actually intend to pay for them this time?" Erwin asked with a smile.

Levi glared at him.

"Okay, okay," Erwin laughed. "Hold on."

Erwin quickly started Levi's coffees between the customers' and Levi leaned up against the counter and looked back over at Eren. She was looking at him with a frown and occasionally looked out into the darkened street. Levi smirked. So she hadn't left yet.

"Here," Erwin said, shoving the three drinks up onto the counter.

Levi took all three without a reply, balancing them easily between his hands. "Take one," he commanded Eren when he reached her.

She looked at him weakly. "I don't really like coffee…"

"Are you deaf? I said take one."

Eren grabbed the middle cup quickly, taking it cautiously into her hands. She brought the cup close to her nose and inhaled, sighing happily. "It's so warm," she murmured.

"Is this your first time having coffee? How old are you? Fifteen?"

"No!" Eren snapped childishly. "I am eighteen, thank you very much, and I've had coffee plenty of times!"

"You just said you didn't like coffee. You should keep your stories straight." Levi took a sip of his own cup and glared at the cup accusingly. He'd been so focused on ordering for the girl, he'd forgotten he liked his coffee black. "Here," he said, thrusting the second cup out to her. "Take this with you."

She took it but said, "What the hell am I supposed to do with two cups of these things?"

"I don't know, give it to a friend. I don't care. Just take it and go." Levi pushed the back of her head towards the door.

"Well, thanks… I guess," she said, unsure of herself. Then, without looking back, Eren went to the door and slipped through with the chime of the bells.

Levi only watched for a second before turning on his heels to climb the stairs to his apartment. Inside, he shoved the cup into Hangi's hands before marching his way to his window and peered out slowly. He scanned the snow-filled street, watching the cars slowly roll down the road, until he spotted her. She stood on her side of the street with the two coffees in hand. Then, quickly, she darted out into the street, once again narrowly avoiding oncoming traffic.

Levi sighed, pressing his forehead to the window pane as he watched her disappear into the park again. "Damn brat," he murmured to himself. "Next time use the crosswalk." His eyes wandered to the stoplight just at the end of the street. She could have easily have crossed there.

He rolled his eyes before sitting down into his chair. "See anything interesting down there?" Hangi asked, sitting down near him, turning on the TV.

"No." Levi didn't feel the need to tell her about Eren. It wasn't like he'd ever see her again.

* * *

**Please review? I need to know if this sucks so far or not... Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Eren went into the park sipping her coffee happily. Between sips, she would hum tunelessly as she walked. She couldn't help being happy, looking at the two cups of coffee in her hands. No one has ever done this for her before. She kept walking into the park until she reached a secluded area and sat down on the snow-soaked bench. It immediately coated her jeans.

Slowly, her smile slipped off her face as she felt the snow pile up on her shoulders. All Eren had felt over these years was the cold. She was death itself. Lifting her fingers to eye level, she stared at them. Eren was cursed with skin that killed. She curled her fingers into fists.

And what was worse was that she was all alone. Sure, she had hated "Master" and his cronies when they had cursed her to an immortality of killing, but only a few years after that, all four had disappeared off the face of the planet. This, she knew for sure. She'd searched for their asses for centuries. Eren found herself missing their abuse, their cruel laughter, and the way they pushed her around constantly. Any of that was better than this constant loneliness.

She looked at the two coffees in her hands. Give one to a friend, the black-haired guy had said. Sure, Eren definitely would love to do that… if only she had friends. She took another sip of the coffee, relishing in its sweet taste but grew disappointed at how quickly it was cooling.

"What are you looking so depressed about?"

Eren looked up sharply and her eyes immediately hardened. Well, if she counted this asshole, she supposed she had a friend. Jean stood in front of her, wearing an identical sweatshirt with his hands shoved in the pockets.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to have a life crisis here," she murmured.

Jean snorted, sitting down. "You didn't have run away before."

"You were being an insensitive jerk."

"I don't see what the problem is," he said like the unaware boy he was.

"You called me _Death_," Eren shot back.

Jean looked confused. "But you are."

"You don't just point out that I am cursed to kill people, Jean! I already know! We both know, so why do you have to keep bringing it up!"

Jean sighed and looked sideways at what she was holding. "What's that?" he asked, looking at her cups.

"Coffee," she said with a pout. "And don't you dare ask for one! You don't deserve it."

Jean smiled glumly. "What does it taste like?"

It was times like this that Eren's anger towards Jean faltered. Jean had been cursed just as long as she has, maybe even longer. Neither could remember the faces of those who had cursed them nor could they remember when they were born. They were just living an unending road of self-hatred. Jean, on the other hand, lived with an easy curse. He turned into a cat. It was involuntary and could happen at any moment, but it was a sure a lot easier than Eren's curse.

She sighed and held out the extra cup that the boy in the coffee shop had given her. "Here," she said, not looking at him. "Take it." She could feel her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.

"Thanks," Jean said quietly, taking the cup from her. But as he did so, his fingers brushed her own and it startled Eren, making her jump with the sensation. Jean paused, looking at her pitifully. It wasn't often that Eren got physical contact. The only others that could withhold it were others that were cursed.

Jean took a sip of his coffee and smiled in surprise. "It's sweet."

But as soon as the words left his mouth, Jean was gone, and beside Eren sat a small tawny gray cat and a spilled coffee cup. "For Christ's sake," Eren said, looking down at Jean. She reached over to pick him up when suddenly he was off, racing away from her.

"Jean!" she hollered, discarding her coffee into the snow beside Jean's, and raced off after the cat. "Fuck, it had to be now." Jean didn't have much control over himself when he was in cat form.

She took after Jean, calling his name until finally she cornered him on the edge of the park by the fence. She lunged at him and grabbed him by the nape before lifting him gently. "You can't outrun me, you little shit," she laughed at the struggling cat.

He lashed out and scratched Eren right across the face, breaking skin. Blood oozed slightly out of the small scratch on her nose and she grumbled under her breath, cursing Jean out. "When you are back to human, you are so getting it," she growled. Then she turned on her heal and headed back to her bench. Well, she might as well wait him out. Hopefully Jean would be human again by dawn.

* * *

The bright morning lifted over the cold city and Levi scrutinized it under his emotionless gaze. It had stopped snowing and it looked colder than the day before. Levi was suddenly grateful that he was stuck inside. He brought his binoculars up to his eyes and began scanning the scenery, looking for anything interesting.

"You're being creepy again," Hangi called from where she was shrugging her coat on by the couch.

"It's not being creepy, I'm just people watching." He zoomed in on a couple walking hand in hand far up the street.

"Which is also called creeping," Hangi teased.

"Call it what you want." He moved his binoculars to scan over the park. So far, just the usual boring stuff.

"Well, I've got to get to work. Behave now, okay? Erwin is downstairs if you need him."

Levi sighed heavily and removed his binoculars. "You give me this same shitty lecture every time you leave. I'll be fine. Just go!"

"Well if you actually listened to me for once, I wouldn't be so worried." She tied a scarf around her neck and stepped into her boots easily. "Alright, I'm off."

Levi grunted, returning to his watch as Hangi left the apartment. Every day was the same old, same old. Levi had accepted it, really, that he was doomed to a short life of sitting on his ass, but sometimes he wished something remotely exciting would happen every once in a while… Like that police chase he'd watched a few weeks ago.

Suddenly his throat enflamed and he was forced to cough roughly into his sleeve, almost dropping his binoculars with the force. The coughs wracked him for a minute or two and when he was done, he sat glaring outside with his sleeve pressed to his lips. He sighed, grating his sore throat, but pulled his binoculars back to his eyes and started zooming on the park.

After a moment, he stopped, focusing on one particular spot. There was a girl, sitting on a park bench holding… what appeared to be a cat. Levi squinted and moved the dial to zoom. It wasn't just any girl. It was Eren, the same girl from the night before. And from the looks of it, she looked like she was sleeping.

"Idiot," Levi said, removing the binoculars to try to squint at the figure with his own eyes, but she was far away and blended into the scenery. For a moment, Levi sat there, tapping his fingers in a steady rhythm against his jeans before deciding. He stood and for a split second, he felt lightheaded and the world swam. But then his vision cleared and he was on his way towards his front door. At the door, he slipped on his heavy boots, his heavy coat, a hat, a scarf, and gloves. He was on a mission. He couldn't take any chances. Then he descended down into the coffee shop.

At the bottom of the stairs, Levi peered around the wall, looking for Erwin. If he was lucky, he could slip out of the coffee shop without being noticed. It was too late. As soon as he poked his head around the corner, Erwin spotted him, grinning widely.

"Levi! What brings you down here? Did you need something?"

Levi came fully around the corner into the almost empty coffee shop. It was almost nine but that didn't explain why the shop was so empty. Erwin's customers came at weird times.

"Nah," Levi said, looking out the window. "I'm just going for a walk."

Erwin nodded. "Well make it quick. You really shouldn't be out long in your condition. Do you have your cell phone on you? You'll call me if you need anything, right?"

Levi groaned but pulled his phone out for the older man to see. "It's even charged to the max. I'll be fine, okay?"

Erwin shooed him away, saying he would give Levi coffee when he returned, but Levi could see the worried glint in Erwin's eyes. It made Levi tired in an emotional kind of way.

Outside, Levi was immediately blasted with frigid air and he felt somewhat reluctant to go out now. But he forced himself forward, taking slow steps down the sidewalk, enjoying the new point of view. He walked until he reached the stoplight and then stood, waiting, for the light to change. When it did, he dutifully walked across the street to the park on the other side.

He tried to picture the park from his living room window and then followed his mental map into the park, trailing across the paths to where he believed Eren to be. Luckily, he had guessed right and he came across the girl, leaning uncomfortable into the park bench with her mouth hanging open again. She was under the shade of the winding branches of a snow-covered Oak tree. Eren herself was lightly dusted with snow, from her hair to her feet and even across the sleeping cat she held protectively.

"Hey," Levi said, trying to get her attention. She didn't move. Levi stared for a moment and then wondered for a second time if this girl was homeless. He removed his glove and reached forward to touch her forehead to feel her temperature when suddenly the girl's green eyes flew open in shock, as if she had sensed his hand so close to her face.

Eren cried out and scrambled away from his hand, effectively throwing the cat from her lap and sent herself sprawling off the bench and into the snow with a squeak of surprise. Levi froze, staring at her widely.

"What are you doing?" Eren yelled at him, pushing herself upright to sit properly.

"I-"

"Ew, are you a pervert?" Eren asked, shock dawning across her face. "Oh my God, you are!"

The cat jumped in front of Eren at her words, bristling up at Levi with a ferocious growl. Levi stared at the two in exasperation. "Believe what you want, but I was checking if you were alive. Have you been sitting out here all night?"

"No!" Eren protested, scooping the spitting cat into her arms.

"You're homeless, aren't you?"

"Now you're the one jumping to conclusions!" Eren yelled back at him.

Levi coughed lightly into his coat sleeve and then turned away. "Well, I'll be on my way."

"Wait!"

Levi stopped abruptly and looked back at her curiously. Eren looked confused herself, frowning at her outstretched hand. "Uh… never mind," Eren said with a sheepish grin.

Rolling his eyes, Levi made to walk back to his apartment when a coughing fit overcame him. The coughs were rougher than this morning, sending his knees to the pavement. His throat burned as he endlessly coughed. After a moment, he stopped and tasted blood soaking his teeth. His vision swam.

The girl appeared in front of him but she was standing far back with frightened eyes. "Hey, are you okay?" Her words swam in Levi's ears and he squinted at her, wishing she would stay in one spot. Oh… she was.

Then Levi promptly face-planted into the snow, out like a light.

* * *

**This story is so fun to write. I hope you feel the same about reading it.**

**Another little side note, if you ever feel like making a fan-art of my story at any time, I won't stop you! (In fact it's like a life-long dream for me.) Okay just ignore me! Next chapter will be out soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh my God!" Eren yelped, watching the guy fall into the snow. He was lucky that he didn't fall straight onto the pavement. "What I do?" She turned to Jean. "Jean, what do I do?!"

Jean didn't reply. He only swished his tail at her as if to say, 'What do you expect _me _to do?'

"You are so worthless!" Eren cried, turning back to the man in the snow. She squatted down slowly next to him but didn't dare touch him. Her eyes widened. There was a trail of red blood seeping from his lips. "Did I accidently touch him?"

She glanced at Jean who appeared at her side, rubbing against her legs in silent comfort. "I couldn't have! Did you see me touch him?"

Once again, Jean couldn't reply. Eren found herself rubbing at unshed tears in her eyes. "I'm the worst," she said quietly. Moving closer to the man, she snapped her fingers near his ears. "Please don't be dead!" He didn't react to her snapping; he didn't move at all, in fact. "Oh God," she moaned, pressing her face into her hands in despair.

"Hey, do you need help?"

Eren glanced up through blurry eyes to find hand mere inches away from her. She flinched but looked up at the person. It was a boy with long blonde hair and blue eyes with his hand outstretched to her. Beside him was a girl about the same age. Her black hair hung limply down to her shoulders and she watched Eren with soft dark eyes.

"This guy," Eren choked out, turning her attention back to the man on the ground. "He needs help. I don't know what's wrong with him."

The blonde boy's hands were still outstretched to her but Eren pulled herself without his help, completely ignoring his hand. The boy looked a bit hurt but Eren had no time to worry about that. "Can you help him?" she begged.

The boy leaned forward and started checking for a pulse. "He's alive, but he needs to get out of this cold."

"He lives at the coffee shop," Eren said immediately, pointing in the direction of the shop. "Could you carry him? I'm a bit… weak." She watched them, hoping to God that they would take care of it.

The girl eyed Eren but eventually nodded. The two leaned down and positioned themselves to pick him up. Immediately, Eren scooped up Jean while the two were distracted and backed away. She had to get out of here.

Turning, Eren began running away down the path with tears prickling underneath her eyelid. Chancing a glance back, she caught a glimpse of the black-haired man's sleeping face. Her heart thudded once before she turned away. She wouldn't come back here ever again.

* * *

Mikasa and Armin lifted the stranger up. He wasn't exactly heavy but he was still hard to carry between the two of them. Mikasa held him underneath his armpits and Armin held his legs.

"You said the coffee shop?" Mikasa asked, looking over her shoulder. She frowned. The girl was gone… and her cat.

Armin looked just as puzzled. "Do you think she did this to him?" he asked, glancing at the unconscious guy's face.

Mikasa scowled. The girl had left them to do her dirty work. "Come on; let's just get him to the coffee shop."

They struggled him across the road in the direction they had been pointed in. It was especially awkward to be carrying a man down a busy street.

By the time they reached the coffee shop, both of their legs burned and Armin kept complaining that his arms were going to fall off. The bell rang overhead as they pushed through the door. The shop was almost empty.

"We have a delivery for you!" Mikasa called, slowly laying the man to the floor.

"Mikasa!" Armin scolded but he put down the guy's legs, leaving him to lie on the dirty floor.

A towering man rounded the counter and the two read his name tag. Erwin. "Jesus Christ," Erwin said, turning pale. "Really, Levi? Again?"

"What's wrong with him?" Armin asked, looking worried.

"He's really sick and he's really stupid. He knows he's not supposed to go outside in his condition, but he does anyway." He paused to let out a long breath. "He's okay though. Want to help me get him upstairs?"

Mikasa looked sideways at Levi. He didn't look okay to her but… whatever. She immediately reached down and lifted him again.

* * *

Levi coughed roughly and he shot into consciousness, groaning loudly. He felt terrible… but it could be worse. He's definitely had worse. "Fuck," he swore, turning uncomfortably in what he assumed was his bed.

A warm cloth was pressed to his forehead and Levi sighed. It was a relief on his cold face. "You're a little shit, you know that?"

Levi squeezed his eyes tighter. "Not now, Hangi."

She continued to press the cloth against Levi's forehead but in silence. Levi let the comfort wash over him and he relaxed into his thoughts. Wait… How he ended up here?

Levi sighed and opened his eyes and glanced at his roommate. Hangi stared back him with a slight, sad smile. "How did I get here?"

"Mikasa and Armin. They just happened to be walking through the park and they found you, luckily. You would be a popsicle by now if they hadn't found you."

"What about Eren?"

Hangi looked startled. "Who?"

"Eren," Levi said, slowly sitting up with a hand pressed to his pounding head. "It's this little brat that sleeps in parks and crosses streets wrong…" He looked at Hangi and she was looking at him oddly.

"Did you hit your head?"

"You didn't see her? She has this stupid face that…" he trailed off. "Did she just leave me out there?"

Hangi brightened then. "Oh! Armin did say that there was a girl there and she asked them to help you. But then she just disappeared."

Levi didn't know why but that royally pissed him off. He tore back the sheets of his bed and jumped out, powered by pure annoyance.

"Wait," Hangi said, gathering pill bottles from his bedside table. "You have to take your medication!"

Levi ignored her and went to his window and peered out angrily. It was dark already and the thousands of strands of lights were lit up, covering the park with light. Levi stared at it, taken aback. That wasn't what he had expected.

Casting his surprise away, Levi sat on the edge of his chair and got out the binoculars, scanning across the park quickly. "Where the fuck are you?" Levi cursed, looking for Eren. Would she sleep in the snow again?

Hangi appeared at his side, rattling his pills in a Dixie cup. "You better not complain this time."

"I'm busy."

Hangi groaned. Suddenly she grabbed his head and forced the pills into his mouth. "There," she said, clearly frazzled. She passed him a glass of water and he took it broodingly.

He washed back the pills and she disappeared into another part of the apartment, leaving Levi alone to his own devices. Levi wasn't sure how long he sat there searching for the girl but around 2 AM he gave up, putting away his binoculars in disappointment.

She was gone.

* * *

The next morning, Levi went through his morning routine. First he took a shower. A shower for him took about… twenty minutes. You can never be too clean was his motto. Afterwards, he would clean about everything else. His teeth, his bathroom, the microwave, you name it. He needed the apartment to be clean if he was going to endure another day in it.

Hangi laughed at him as he scrubbed the front tiles by the door as she pulled on her boots for work. Levi promptly told her to fuck off.

Then after that, he would make himself breakfast. It was never anything to big since the meds made him more nauseous than they were worth, but he forced it into his mouth nonetheless.

Then he would brush his teeth again.

Finally, when he sat down in his recliner to people watch, it was about ten in the morning. He sighed, leaning onto the window sill tiredly. He didn't even move to pick up his binoculars.

Levi's mind wandered as he watched the same old, same old outside his window. He found himself wondering where Eren had gone. Was she homeless?

Levi slammed his fist against the window sill. If she was homeless, she should go find help! Don't be sleeping on park benches, idiot! Levi was seething just thinking about the girl. And who was there to make sure she didn't kill herself crossing the street? Didn't anyone ever teach her to look both ways?! He ground his teeth.

Calm down, calm down, he told himself. But then he froze.

There she was! She was walking in his God-damned street with some dumb-looking guy! Now she was really going to get it!

Levi stood sharply but paused when she stopped in front of the coffee shop with the guy and pointed up at Levi's apartment, talking to the guy. After a second, she glanced up to where she was pointing and froze when her eyes caught Levi's. She immediately looked flustered.

Levi glared down at her and then made a motion of his hand to STAY THERE.

He marched away from the window and threw on his shoes before flying down the stairs into the coffee shop. He again ignored whatever Erwin was muttering about and found his way to the door, throwing it open.

Eren and the guy stood there, staring at him. "Get in here," Levi demanded. He wasn't wearing a coat, so he didn't want to be out there any longer than he had to.

"You're alive," she said, looking completely shocked.

A vein in Levi's temple pulsed. "Why the hell wouldn't I be? I'm not that weak."

Eren sputtered, trying to correct what she said but Levi cut her off. "Just get in here."

Looking at Jean, Eren cocked her head questionably at him. Jean grimaced but said, "I'll meet up with you later."

Eren nodded and watched Jean go. He disappeared into the crowd and Eren turned back to Levi, following him inside. Levi led the girl to a little table in the corner on the far side and sat down roughly, turning to stare at her. She sat down a bit more slowly.

Levi did not waste any time. "Who the hell are you?"

Eren laughed as if Levi were joking. He was not. She stopped laughing after an awkward moment of being glared at and said, "Are you serious?"

"Are you homeless? Do you need help?"

She looked confused. "Like I said before… None of your business?" She said it like a question, not sounding very sure of herself anymore.

Levi groaned. "That's it. You need my help."

"I do not!" Her face heated with anger.

"Yeah. You do," Levi said calmly.

"You don't know anything about me."

"You don't know how to cross streets correctly."

Eren blinked at that. "What?" She shook her head, letting it go. "I don't even know your name, how could I trust you?"

"Levi," he said immediately. "Okay? Are you happy now?"

"I still don't know what you want to help me with."

"You've got nowhere to stay, right?" She looked at him with wide eyes but she didn't say a word. Levi nodded, knowing he was right. "You can stay with me."


	5. Chapter 5

Eren frowned at him and Levi felt his heart skip a beat. "Why would I do that?"

Levi frowned back. That was a really good question. They've known each other for less than two days and he was offering her to move in? It was too late now, though. He would like an idiot if he took it back now.

"Just take the damn offer."

Eren glared at him, scowling heavy. "No."

Levi grew unreasonably irritated looking at the girl's face. "Brat, don't you know how to be grateful?"

"I'm good, but thanks," she said abruptly. She stood in a flash and her chair grated loudly across the floor.

Without thinking, Levi thrust his hand out and grabbed at her wrist. He'd barely just brushed her skin before she wrenched it away with a cry of terror. "What the hell are you thinking?" she yelled at him.

Levi was frozen in shock but he quickly composed himself. He looked around the shop and found that people were staring. When he glanced back at Eren, she was already moving away, heading for the door. "Wait!" Levi called after her, jumping out of his seat to follow her.

She swung out of the door and Levi followed, picking up his pace so that he passed her and stood in her way on the sidewalk. People flooded around them on the busy street. Levi shivered. It was incredibly cold out and all he was wearing was a long-sleeved shirt. "What is your problem?" he said.

She looked up at him and her eyes were wide with shock. "Who _are _you?" she asked, repeating his question from earlier.

Levi didn't know what to say and instead wrapped his already frozen fingers around his arms. The two stared at each other. "Just… think about it," Levi said quietly and he coughed slightly into his hand, eyeing the warm coffee shop. Damn this cold.

Then he pushed past her into the coffee shop, letting the warmth wrap around him. When he glanced back, she was still standing there, staring back at him with a weird look on her face. After giving each other a long stare, Levi finally turned away and retreated towards his apartment staircase.

Erwin appeared beside him before he could escape and Levi turned to glare at him. "What is it?"

"Who was that girl? I've never seen you so interested in anyone before," Erwin asked with a grin.

"Just Eren," Levi said shortly. "See you later."

Erwin watched Levi disappear up the stairs before letting his smile drop. "Shit," he said lowly. He took his phone out and sent out a text: **Levi found her.**

* * *

Eren stumbled into the park, completely flustered. She was dazed.

"Eren," Jean said, appearing at her side. "What did he say to you?"

"He… wanted me to move in with him…"

"What a pervert!"

"That's what I thought!" Eren cried but then her face straightened in serious. "But that's not even the weirdest thing that happened…"

"Do you need me to beat him up?" Jean asked, tilting his head.

"No, no," she said. She brushed past him, lifting her arm to look at it before turning back to him. Eren held out her hand for him to see. "He touched me."

"I'm beating him up," Jean said angrily, pushing around her.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "No, not in that way! I mean he touched my hand and _he didn't die."_

Turning back to look at her, he stared with a deep frown. "Is he cursed?"

"That's the thing! I have no idea!" Eren thought to herself, stepping over to a snow-covered bench. She set down gingerly, not caring about the coldness that pressed to her legs. "Well, he did collapse in the park… Maybe that is part of his curse?"

"Could be," Jean said, sitting down beside her. He nudged her with his shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. "But why worry about it? Just forget the creep and let's move on. We've been in this town too long."

Eren sighed heavily. They've been traveling around aimlessly for a long time now. With their hooded masters gone, they had no purpose in life. There were no others like Eren and Jean. They were the only cursed that were left. There had been more, long ago, but they had disappeared with their masters.

"What if…" Eren began suddenly.

"Please, don't. Not this again," Jean groaned.

She said up straight and shot a glare at him. "No, listen. What if the Masters are nearby? What if they came back and they're cursing people again? What if this guy has the answer?"

"Can't we just pretend they're gone?"

"No," Eren said, looking at him. Her face was suddenly bright with ideas. "This is my chance!" She jumped to her feet and spun back to face him. "Levi can lead me to the Masters! They can remove my curse!"

Jean looked indignant. "No that's—"

But he couldn't finish because at that moment, Jean transformed, disappearing from sight, into a cat on the pavement.

Eren grinned. "Good timing, Jean."

* * *

Hangi glanced back at Levi, sitting at his usual chair by the window, before slipping out the door. He probably wouldn't even notice her absence. She would have rolled her eyes at the thought if the situation wasn't so dire.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Hangi flew down the steep steps and rounded her way into the coffee shop. She was instantly joined by Erwin, who unstrapped his apron, and set it aside at the counter, letting his employees take over for a while. They walked with purpose, completely silent and side-by-side, out the front shop doors.

"Petra?" Hangi asked.

Erwin nodded. "She's meeting us."

The two walked down the street, away from the shop. Hangi looked up and behind them, stealing a glance at Levi's focused expression as he scanned the park with his binoculars. She smiled softly and followed Erwin further until they reached the smaller diner at the corner. Erwin opened the door for her and she walked inside.

Within the diner, Hangi spotted the small petite girl sitting in the corner booth, holding a menu. The two went to her booth and slid in on the opposite side of her.

"Petra," Hangi greeted.

Petra snapped her menu shut. "We have a major problem."

"Yes, Eren's back," Erwin said. "We know. She was in the shop today."

Nodding, Petra's face turned to one extremely grievous. Hangi knew, of course, why. Eren was Levi's consort, but from a past life. He'd turned the girl after her father had exchanged her soul for his own centuries ago. Hangi had never seen the sorcerer happier than with that cursed girl. It was a twisted and cruel relationship between the two but she'd seen a flicker of emotion in Levi that had never existed before Eren.

But then a coven of witches had swooped in upon the four only a few years after. Levi had lured the witches away with his magic, protecting the other three and Eren, but it had costed him dearly. The witches had cursed him to a rebirth in the future to be doomed with misery. But most of all, the moment Levi reunited with his charge, Eren, Levi would be condemned to the worst punishment of all. What that was, Hangi did not know. But the three had spent the entirety of Levi's reincarnated life attempting to prevent the inevitable.

They've failed.

"I thought you were tracking her!" Hangi said angrily.

Petra's eyes looked watery and entirely tortured. "I only let her out of my sight for a minute and suddenly she was in the coffee shop! I didn't realize how closely they were to Levi."

It had been years since Petra had seen Levi. Over the centuries, she had spent a majority of her time tracking Eren and her companion, Jean.

"It's over now," Erwin said, raising his hands to pacify the two. "There's still hope yet that we can keep Eren away."

"But what if it doesn't work? What if he meets her and remembers _everything_ and realizes we were lying this whole time?"

Hangi gulped. They had been altering Levi's memories since they'd found him reborn in that orphanage. He hadn't grown up next door to Hangi, she'd raised him alongside Erwin. Many of his memories from his childhood were altered but they hadn't had to change any in recent years.

"We need to make him forget that he even met her. Before it's too late," Hangi piped up. "And then we'll keep Eren away." She looked at Petra, who nodded, looking completely determined.

"It's perfect," Petra said, excited. "We can still fix this."

Erwin turned to Hangi and said hurriedly, "We should get back immediately, before he meets with the girl again."

Hangi nodded and stood. "Let's go."

They departed quickly. Petra went off to locate Eren and Jean, while the other two headed back to Erwin's shop. Erwin returned to his work but Hangi turned into the staircase that led up to the apartment. She had to change Levi's memories before—.

Hangi froze, almost to the top of the stairs, at the sight of Eren standing in front of the apartment door, holding a cat. Eren was staring at the door intently with a frown on her face. She was dressed poorly in an old tattered sweatshirt that hung loosely and was stretched out. Her half-tied hair was messy and in disarray. But Hangi could see Eren's ever-present beauty beneath all of the mess.

She felt her heart plummet.

The cat was the first to notice her. It was Jean, Hangi knew, another they'd cursed. Petra had personally cursed him. The cat meowed noisily.

Eren's head turned and she smiled warmly at Hangi but no recognition flickered in Eren's eyes. After all, Eren had only known the four of them for a few years and then had been alone for centuries. Hangi found Eren's smile radiant.

"Hello," Eren said. Her voice wavered with nervousness. "Does Levi live here?"

* * *

**I realized that Hangi has a couple of spelling for her name: Hange and Hanji. But I guess I sort of mixed the two without realizing it. Regardless, I'm keeping it this way. Anyhow, please review! I'm starving for feedback!**

**Also, I plan on updating often now that my OHSHC fic is finished.**


	6. Chapter 6

Hangi could not help but stare at Eren who was waiting patiently for Hangi's answer. She hadn't expected Eren to show up _here._

"Uh," Hangi started. She cleared her throat and continued cautiously, "Who are you?"

"No one, really," Eren said with a wide smile. "I just needed to talk to Levi about something quickly."

Tilting her head, Hangi frowned at the girl. "What did you need?"

Eren's smile began to waver. Hangi was starting to feel bad for intimidating the girl but she had no time for this. Before Eren could answer, Hangi said, "Levi's not here."

"He's not?" She looked confused and her face heated red. "Will he be back soon?"

"Maybe," Hangi said as she trailed up the last few steps to stop in front of her and Levi's door. "But I'm not sure when." She pulled out her key and paused, waiting for Eren to leave.

"Oh," Eren said. She wilted as her eyes flashed from Hangi's key to Hangi's face. "Sorry, bye!" Her words were fast and suddenly Eren was rushing down the stairs and the cat howled all the way down.

* * *

Levi sat in his usual chair, watching the world in a silent whirlwind of loneliness. For the first time, since Levi's illness had progressed, he was feeling the crushing weight of complete isolation. 'Why was that?' he found himself wondering.

He put his binoculars down and sat for a moment, when suddenly he heard someone clomping up the stairs to the apartment. Must be Hangi, he figured, but then the footsteps stopped and did not enter the apartment. The sound just went silent. Levi looked up slowly, eyeing the door. Who could be out there? Anyone he knew would have come inside already.

He stood with a groan, heading to the door. He wish whoever it was would just knock already. But then the sound of a second pair of feet joined the first but stopped before the top. Levi paused, curious, as he heard two people start to talk outside his door.

Moving forward, he strained his ears, trying to hear what was happening. Who was it? What were they talking about? But then he made it to the door and stood, waiting. The voices were distorted from the wooden door and incredibly hard to understand. He didn't catch one word.

After a moment or two, Levi grabbed the door and flung it open only to come face to face with Hangi who had just turned to the door with her key. Levi looked past her but couldn't quite see over her shoulder. All he could hear with the sound of mewling cat and the clomping of the second person's shoes on the steps. Wait… a cat?

Levi pushed Hangi aside and stepped out onto the landing just in time to see a girl's long brown hair disappear around the corner into the shop below. "Was there a girl here just now?" Levi asked, turning back to Hangi.

"I think she had the wrong place," Hangi said with a shrug. She took a hold of his shoulder and tried to steer him inside. "Let's go inside. I have something I need to show you."

Levi shook his head and turned to look down the stairs again. "I have to go check something," he said, and then wrenched away from her grip to follow that girl.

He entered the shop a second later to see the girl; not just any girl, it was Eren. And she was pressing her face to the cold front shop windows with her hands on either side of her face. Her cat was sitting loyally on the counter next to her. What was the idiot doing now?

Levi made his way over through the bustling shop. He was thankful that it was busy enough that Erwin did not call him over today, but he could still feel Erwin's eyes on his back as Levi approached the oblivious girl. He stopped right next to her. "What are you doing?"

Eren jumped in surprise and then spun to face him. Levi raised an eyebrow. "You scared me!"

"Clearly."

"What do you want?" Eren panted with her hand over her heart, trying to calm herself.

Levi almost laughed. _Almost. _"You're the one who was lurking outside my door."

Now Eren looked confused. "You were home?"

"Yes…" Levi said slowly. They stared at each other for a moment and Levi was growing more and more curious as he watched several expressions pass over the girl's face.

"Um," Eren started, snapping Levi into attention, "Could you let your girlfriend know that I'm sorry I disturbed her? I didn't know—"

"Girlfriend?" Levi was _really_ confused now.

Eren's face switched into anger. "You know, I really hate you!" Her face was turning a complete red.

Levi stared back, watching her.

"You didn't have to invite me to live with you when your girlfriend is—"

"Were you coming up there to say yes?" Levi asked. For some reason, he felt a warmth spreading throughout his chest. It was an odd sensation.

"No!" she snapped back immediately. But her face flamed further and her eyes widened. "I just… I just!" She turned and snatched up her cat, which sat comfortably in her arms. The cat looked at Levi in almost an evil expression. "I just have to go!"

Levi grabbed onto her arm and she squealed in surprise, jumping out of his reach. She looked up at him in shock. "Do you always casually grab girls?" She said accusingly.

"I don't have a girlfriend."

"You don't?" Eren's face changed into one of complete surprise. Levi was fascinated, looking at the girl in front of him. She had so many expressions and each one was full of intensity.

Levi pursed his lips and shook his head slowly; his hair swished across her forehead softly. He tilted his head. "You must have been talking to Hangi. She's my roommate."

Eren nodded, looking thoughtful and started to pet the cat in her arms absently. She looked far away.

"So are you staying?"

"Eh?" She blinked at him.

"You're homeless, right?"

"Ye-NO!" Eren protested clumsily. "No I am not."

Levi sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead. This useless chatter was growing old fast; he needed to do something to shut her up.

Levi grabbed her hand and dragged her behind him. She stumbled with gasp and almost dropped the cat, but Levi pulled her along nonetheless. He made his way through the crowd again, dragging her, and the people stared, including Erwin who had a strange look on his face. Levi did not stop to think about that though.

They were mounting the stairs when Eren finally wrenched her hand away. He looked back at her. Her head was down, not looking at him, and she was pressing the cat to her. "I can walk on my own."

"Do you have to bring the cat?" Levi asked, glaring at the animal. It was probably going to be so messy.

Eren looked him straight at him and narrowed her eyes. "You've got a problem with it?"

Levi turned and continued up the stairs and she followed close behind, until they finally entered the apartment. As soon as he was inside, Hangi appeared, "Levi, I have to show you that—Oh!" Hangi stopped to stare from Eren to Levi. "What's going on?"

"Ah, I just have to talk to Levi," Eren started.

"Eren's staying here for a while," Levi butted in. Hangi looked at him steadily, without a smile, without saying anything. This was unusual for Hangi. "She doesn't have anywhere to stay."

There was a long pause afterward where no one said anything. The air was tense.

Suddenly Eren spoke up, "No, I'm not actually staying." She started to edge towards the door, holding her cat even closer than before. "I just wanted to talk to Levi, but it's not important anymore. You all have things to do and I have to be somewhere, so bye!"

Eren tried to escape through the door but again, Levi caught her by her arm. Hangi watched their contact closely. Levi looked back at Hangi. "She's staying."

"No! I'm not!" Eren said loudly.

Finally, Hangi spoke up, "Eren, you can stay if you want."

Levi narrowed his eyes at Hangi. She was quieter than usual and it was entirely suspicious in Levi's eyes.

"Oh," Eren said. "Well only for one night."

Hangi smiled warmly then. "That's fine." Without another word, Hangi turned on her heal and left the room.

Levi's eyes followed her all the way out. Hangi was hiding something, he could sense it. But his attention was redirected when Eren released the cat onto the wooden floor.

"Don't just let the thing loose!" Levi yelled, watching in horror as the hairy beast headed across his just-cleaned floors for the spotless couch.

"He's not going to do anything!" Eren promised. Levi glared sternly at her. "He's a perfectly well-behaved cat and he's—JEAN!" She sprinted across the floor.

Levi watched in complete nauseating disgust at the sight of a cat ripping away at his couch while Eren fruitlessly tried to pull it away. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea.

* * *

Hangi entered her room and closed the door with a sigh. The tension in the hallway had been stifling and her fear had grown at Eren's sunny, carefree face at their front door. Was it too late to save Levi? Was the witches' curse already swinging in full motion?

Hangi took out her phone and dialed immediately for Petra. "What is it Hangi?" Petra answered.

"Eren's here at the apartment. What do I do?"

"Shit," Petra spat into the phone. "What _are_ we going to do?"

Hangi sat down on her bed with a heavy heart. "What if it's too late?"

"It can't be!" Petra cried through the phone. "There must be something you could do. A spell?"

Then it hit her like a brick wall. The solution had been sitting under Hangi's nose. "I'll call you back, Petra. There's something I need to do."

* * *

**Feedback is always welcome!**


	7. Chapter 7

Eren wrenched Jean away from the couch, whispering curses into his flattened ears. He sooooo was going to get it when he turned back. Looking over her shoulder, she caught Levi staring at her with an even, unemotional face. It was disconcerting.

"I'll sleep on the couch, right?" she asked, turning to fully face Levi.

He blinked once. "Yeah."

Eren sat down on the couch and Jean crawled all over her lap with his soft paws. The sensation caused Eren to immediately giggle.

"I'll get blankets," Levi said abruptly. By the time Eren looked up from Jean, Levi was already marching down the hallway that Hangi had disappeared into earlier.

Eren smiled back down at Jean. "Okay, Jean," she began, "It's just for one night. So can you _please_ behave?"

Jean hissed.

Huffing, Eren leaned back into the seat, defeated. "You're a jerk, you know that?"

Suddenly, Eren heard the sound of a door opening and she straightened up in her seat. But who came around the corner wasn't Levi. It was Hangi.

"Eren," Hangi said warmly. Eren stared. There was something off in her tone. Hangi continued, "I just wanted to apologize for before… In case I seemed rude."

"No!" Eren exclaimed immediately, throwing her arms out in front of her. "I'm the one who should be apologizing! I'm not even supposed to be here."

Hangi smiled and moved around the coffee table to sit down beside Eren. Jean moved away from Hangi and sat down on Eren's left leg, watching Hangi silently. "I'll be leaving first thing in the morning, I promise," Eren continued.

Hangi nodded and then looked at Eren sideways. "Your hair is really beautiful," Hangi said, reaching for Eren's hair.

Immediately, intense fear clamped down on Eren's chest as she noticed the woman reaching for her. Eren clenched her teeth and almost stopped breathing. As long she didn't touch her skin, she would be okay. Please don't touch the skin! Eren squeezed her eyes shut as Hangi's hand connected with her hair, playing with the strands in her fingers. As long as Hangi only touched her hair, she would live.

"You really don't like to be touched, do you?" Hangi said, withdrawing her hand.

Eren opened her eyes and released a sigh of relief. She cleared her throat and nodded with her eyes downcast.

"What do you do for a living?" Eren blurted out suddenly, trying to make conversation. Everything just seemed so tense.

Hangi looked up, surprised. "I do psychological experiments and research at the local university."

Eren didn't know what to say and just nodded. God, this awkward, but maybe… Maybe she could coax some answers out of Hangi? Maybe Hangi knew if Levi was cursed.

"Umm," Eren said quietly, brushing her brown hair swiftly behind her ear. "What exactly is wrong with Levi, if you don't mind me asking?"

Hangi sighed, leaning back into the couch. A dark, clouded look passed over the older woman's face before she said, "He was born with a weak body. He has frequent colds and bloody coughs. And he's been to the hospital more times than a normal person should." Hangi's face drooped with a soft sadness.

"Don't make it sound worse than it is." Both girls looked up to see Levi standing there in the hallway with a large stack of blankets.

Eren immediately jumped to her feet, throwing Jean to the ground, who meowed angrily. Levi did look a bit pale. Perhaps he was about to have an attack? "Do you need help with those?" Eren asked hurriedly. She went to feel his forehead, momentarily forgetting about her curse, and stopped before her hand connected. Stepping back without touching him, she continued, "You look pale! I really should take the blankets for you!"

Levi only responded by shoving her backward into the couch, where she landed, and then dumped the four blankets over her head. "Hey!"

Eren rustled through the blankets until she poked her head out of the warm mass and scanned the room for Levi. But he was gone.

"Don't worry," Hangi said, leaning back into the couch with her legs crossed. "He's a bit sensitive. He likes to say he doesn't care about dying, but he also doesn't like to be treated like he's dying."

Eren felt her face flush with realization. She'd just insulted him without realizing!

* * *

Hangi sat impatiently but quietly on the couch as she watched Eren's face switch into pure horror. She had to admit, Eren seemed just as lively as she had centuries ago, and she found herself wondering what Eren had done to occupy herself all of these years. The girl seemed so innocent, so naïve. What had she done with her life?

Eren stood abruptly. "I'll go talk to him." She left quickly, with Jean trailing her closely, into the kitchen where Levi had disappeared a moment earlier.

Hangi watched and felt a bit guilty for what she was about to do. Eren was a sweet girl, Hangi could tell, but she had to protect Levi. Otherwise the witches' horror would descend upon him, if it hadn't already. And what could it be? What could be more horrible than what was happening to Levi already? Would he die a painful death?

Squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head, Hangi banished all of these thoughts and stood, slipping a vial from her pocket. It was a potion that she had just concocted in her room for Eren. It would erase the girl's memory. Normally Hangi would have just passed a spell over Eren, but since that required touching Eren, it wouldn't be easy. At least this way, Hangi could just slip the substance into Eren's drink. And once she was done with Eren, she would cast the same spell over Levi. Then everything could return to normal.

She opened her eyes and pressed the vial firmly into her fist before heading the kitchen. Hangi opened the swinging door slowly to find Eren and Levi leaning against opposite counters, looking at each other shyly and silently. She felt her heart clenched. Hangi wished she could tell the two how sorry she was.

"What's going on in here?" Hangi asked, trying to keep her voice chipper.

"He's just staring at me," Eren said with a scowl but she did not break her gaze from Levi's.

"You started it," Levi said, not looking up either. They continued to stare at each other. Jean even jumped up on the counter to join Eren in the staring match. Levi looked at the cat in annoyance.

"Eren, would you like something to drink?" Hangi asked. She turned the vial in her hand.

Finally looking up, Eren tilted her head. "Umm… what do you have?"

"Anything, really."

"Ginger ale?" Eren asked hesitantly. "You probably don't have…"

"No, we do," Hangi said, turning away to the pantry just on the side of the kitchen. They had a full stock of all sorts of things. This was mostly due to the fact that Hangi did not want Levi leaving the apartment for anything. It was too cold out for him.

She selected a can and returned to the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cupboard as the silence continued between the two behind her. Hangi set the glass down on the counter with a clink, and snapped open the soda can. Then, quickly, Hangi poured the ginger ale and the potion into the glass. She watched the blue liquid disappear seamlessly into the ginger ale.

Hangi turned and handed the drink to Eren. "Here, drink up!"

Eren took the drink lightly, careful not to touch Hangi's skin. "Thank you," Eren said slowly.

In anticipation, Hangi watched as Eren switched hands on the glass and then she took the drink and slowly brought it to her lips and—

Suddenly, by an invisible force, Eren's hand jerked and the whole glass went tumbling from her hand. It crashed to the floor and glass flew, shattering haphazardly across the kitchen tile. "Oh my gosh! Sorry!" Eren cried. She fell to her knees and tried to gather the pieces hurriedly. "I don't know how that happened. OW!" Eren hissed in pain, dropping the shards to stare at her hand. Blood had bubbled from a small cut in her palm.

"Idiot," Levi said, but he had a soft expression on his features. Gingerly, he knelt down beside Eren and took her hand, examining it.

Through of all of this, Hangi was stilled in shock. They may have not noticed, but Hangi had just witnessed something impossible. She had seen _magic_ flow through Levi. He had moved the glass from Eren's hand and it seemed to be an unconscious reaction. This was IMPOSSIBLE! Levi had _never_ shown any sign of magic since he'd been reincarnated. But she'd seen the subtle light of magic in Levi's hands.

"Hangi," Levi said, snapping her out of her whirlwind of thoughts. "Can you grab a wet towel?"

"I'm fine!" Eren exclaimed, wrenching her hand from Levi's.

"There's still glass in the wound," Levi said harshly, grabbing the hand back. "Hangi?"

Hangi nodded and hurried away, feeling dread. This was impossible. At one time in the past, she would have been excited to see Levi show magic but now… This could only mean the worst.

* * *

"Sorry, sorry," Eren said repeatedly.

Levi frowned at her as he tried to pull a piece of glass from her hand. "It's nothing to be sorry about." He took the little piece of glass and tugged it easily out.

Eren winced as more blood started to pour from her hand and began to drip onto the clean floor. "Sorry, I'll clean it up."

"You don't need to apologize," Levi reminded her, turning her hand, trying to locate any more glass but he couldn't see anything. He needed that damn towel. He glanced up at the door, growing impatient. "Hangi?" There wasn't an answer but he could hear the running water in the bathroom in the hall. He wondered why she hadn't just used the sink in the kitchen. He turned back to Eren and caught her bright green eyes which were filled with an unnamed emotion. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, looking away. Jean meowed at her, wrapping around her ankles.

Levi didn't push her to answer more truthfully. Instead he stood and helped her up. The effort caused Levi to feel slightly winded, but he ignored it and led Eren to the sink. He stuck her hand on the running water. "Does it hurt?"

"No," she smiled.

Levi narrowed his eyes, growing annoyed this time. "You're lying."

Her eyes went wide and she blinked slowly. "How-?"

"Your face," Levi said simply. He had watched her eyebrows quirk into a frown just before she'd lied. "It was obvious." He took her hand out of the stream of water and examine it again. "It's nothing serious. We just need to clean it out a little more and bandage it up."

Eren pulled her hand away roughly. "See? I told you I'm fine!" she said stormily.

Levi chuckled at the serious look on her face. Immediately her eyes widened in horror. "What?" he asked.

"Your smile… it's scary!"

Levi glared at her.

* * *

Hangi swung the door open. "I have the towel and the first aid kit." She put both items on the counter and Eren immediately grabbed the towel, pressing her hand into it.

"When you're done there we would could go shopping," Hangi said, watching Levi try to put a bandage on Eren's hand. Eren pulled away and took the bandage from him and put it on herself. "Eren?"

Eren snapped to attention. "What?"

"I want to get groceries and something new for you to wear, something warmer," Hangi explained. This was the only way to get Eren alone.

"Oh! You don't have to do that!" Eren cried, looking embarrassed.

"It's no problem," Hangi insisted.

"I'll go too," Levi said suddenly.

Hangi looked at him in surprise. "Levi, you shouldn't go out in this weather."

"I'll be fine," he said, brushing her off.

"Levi," Hangi said in a stern voice. She needed Eren alone if her plan was going to work.

"I'm not helpless," he said angrily.

Hangi sighed, defeated. It looked like she was going to have to come up with a plan C.

* * *

**Sorry that this chapter is a little choppy!**


End file.
